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In this segment of “Ticket Talks”, Rob Laycock, Ticketmaster’s Sr. Director of Client Development for NBA/NHL teams and venues, talks about the importance of having a consistent naming convention for the playoffs. This will help your team optimize its communication efforts while gaining improved national marketing efforts by Ticketmaster, ultimately resulting in higher conversion and better ROI.

What Challenges Does the Current Naming Convention Create?

Laycock: The current naming convention has two main concerns: (1) national inconsistency and (2) fan confusion. It is important to have consistency across all teams due to national marketing efforts. As importantly, fans buying single-game tickets – especially new fans – may get confused since the media rarely reference the home game number or letter found in the current method.

How Will the Proposed Change in Naming Convention Solve These Challenges?

Laycock: The proposed naming convention speaks to the fans in a way they are accustomed to while ensuring those fans who received tickets prior to the confirmation of the game schedule and opponent are aware of what ticket is required for venue entry. This limits confusion and therefore decreases bounce rate and shopping cart abandonment.

How Does It Help from a Fan Experience Perspective?

Laycock: The Playoffs are a great time to be or become a fan. Fans looking to attend a game have a lot of options to consider, ranging from which game(s) to attend, where to sit, and when to buy – among others. This can be hectic because primary tickets are sometimes limited, and resale tickets may exceed face value. The naming convention is just another variable in the buy-flow process we are looking to improve. The good news is we are able to keep the benefit of the current method while better prioritizing the language fans are used to hearing or reading.

What Is the Level of Effort Required from Teams to Adopt This New Naming Convention?

Laycock: The implementation itself is no different than any other season as the events must be built. However, the naming convention affects multiple departments, including Ticket Sales & Services, Ticket Logistics, Box Office, Marketing, Media Relations, and Venue Operations, so it is important for Ticketmaster to give each team and venue ample opportunity to discuss and align internally prior to implementation.